John b



McCLAiN.

SOFT METAL'FURNACE. APPLICATION men AUG.16, 920.

Patented Decl14, 1920.

ATTORNEYS parts in the several views, and 111 which 7 are caused to UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- JOHN B. McCLAI N. 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SOFT-METAL FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14,

Application filed August 0, .1920, sen-arm. 403.703.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Join: B. MCCLAIN, a

citizen of the United Statcs,'a nd a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and Stateof New York, have invented a new and Im-.

proved Soft-Metal Furnace, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

' prove the general construction of the fur 'nacc with respect to the drum portion through which the operator has access to 'lhc metal. the stack connection, the means for supplying a force of freshair through the fire box, and to the means adapting the furnace so to be provided with means for pouring the molten metal directly from the bottom of the bowl larger types.

\Vith the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrange ment and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed. and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of coustructioi'i d sclosed or suggested here :in. still for the purpose of illustrating a.

" actical embodiment thereof reference is l ..d to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of my improvement.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1. j

Fig. 3 is a verticalsectional view' of a variation in the furnace respecting the means for pouring molten metal from the bowl, the view corresponding otherwise to the central portion of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the .T his invention relates to furnaces and especially to furnaces for melting or reduclivered to any especially in the drawings I show my furnace as comprisin any suitable base 10 built. in or supporte upon a foundation ll of concrete or'the like, the base plate 10 being located beneath the surface of the foundation which may be regardedas the floor of the furnace room. Supported dircc upon the base 10 is an annular member 12 of'L-shape in cross section and with which cooperates an lnner annular member 13. The space 14 between the two annular members 12 and i3 serves as an inlet for a forced draft winch may be de- 14, as through a pipe 15. The member 13 provided with radially formed holes 16 through which the blast of fresh air is admitted into the interior of the ring 13 for delivery upward through a grate support 17 and between the grate bars 18 supported thereon. On any desired side of the furnace is provided an ash pit or clean-out 19. e grate support 17 rest-s directly upon the ring 13.

The shell or body 20 of the furnace may be of any suitable size, structure, or design, but shown as being in the form of a vertical cylinder and lined with fire brick 21 or other suitable refractory material. At one side the shell is provided with a suitable fuel door 22, which likewise may be lined with fire brick, if desired. This fuel door is made as nearly air and gas tight as may be practicable. The interior of the body, especially the lower half, constitutes a fire box.

The bowl, known in the art as the accelcrator bowl, is indicated at 23, the same being approximately semi.-elliptical in form and provided at its upper open end with an outwardly projecting flange 24 through I which the bowl is supymrted upon the upper end of the body 20. The'shape of the bowl proyides that the main portion there of is suspended within or toward the fire box and is nearly all spaced from the fire brick lining. Except as otherwise explained the bottom of the bowl is imperferate and so is adapted to hold the metal to be reduced or melted. Obviously the bowl will be made of semisteel or some other refractory material.

Extending upward from the top of the shell 20 and, conforming thereto is a drum.

2-1 through one side of wh ch is formed an opening 26 which may be termed the work door or through which access may be had desired portion of thespace lbs from the'dotted line 29. These holes 28 are formed on all sides of the .bowl except on the side adjacent to the work door, as

plainly indicated in Fig. 2.

The drum 25 is surmounted with any suitable dome 30 constituting the base of a stack or a means serving to direct the products of combustion upward through a stack Supports 31 are connected to the dome to relieve the weight of the dome or any part supported thereon from the furnace, and'especially the drum 25, which latter is detachably connected as by lag screws 32 to the flange 24: of the bowl, It will thus be seen: that the drum may be removed or interchanged without disturbing either the dome or any other part of the structure. WVhen the drum is detached the bowl may "be hoisted out of the body and replaced either by a bowl of the same construction or one of a different construction.

Fig.3 indicates the type of bowl'I prefer to use in connection with the large furnace designs, especially when the molten metal is desired to be drawn'ofi' in a stream from the bottom of the bowl. This bowl is indicated at 23 and is provided witha nozzle 33 with the bore of which communicates a spout 34 leading'to the outside of thebody or shell. The plug normally closing the port 33' comprises-a. screw35 having a ballshaped end 35..fatithe bottom ofthebowll The shank portionto'f thisscrewqis fitted in threadedlextension 36 at the top of the bowl, and at the upper end of the screw is a removable Wheelor handle 37 which under normal conditions is hung up in the furnace room outside of the furnace and which the-operator may slip upon the upper end of the'screw when he desires to 1'o-* tate the same for opening or closing the port 33. The'other parts of the furnace are to be understood as being constructed substantially as already set forth.

The operation of the furnace 'may be briefly summarized as follows: Blocks or sticks of metal or the like to be fused or melted are delivered into the bowl through the doorway'26 of the drum, fuel will be admitted into the fire box through the door 22 and after being kindled will be caused to burn at high temperature by means of a forced draft introduced through the pipe 15, channel 14; 3 and holes 16, and thence upward through the grate 18. The prod nets of combustion pass well around all that portion of the bowl which holds the metal and thence passes through the holes 28 and over the top of the molten metal. Since there is no hole 28 provided beneath the work door the operator is relieved from direct contact of any flame or gases that otherwise would reach him at this point while reaching in through the work door when desired. The molten metal may be ladeled out through the work door, or as above intimated the metal may be poured out through the nozzle and spout, as shown in Fig. 3, when the plug 35 is turnclupward.

I claim:

'1. In a furnace for melting aluminum or other soft metals, the combination of a fu'r nace body providing a fire box a bowl supported above the body and having a portion projecting downward into the body and spaced therefrom. and means to cause the products of combustion from the fire box to pass throi'igh the wall of the bowl, and over the metal in the bowl.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the bowl is provided with a series of holesformed therethrough adjacent to its-open upper end.

3.'A device as set forth in claim 2 in which holes are formed at about the same level, and the series of holes is complete except at one side of the bowl.

4. In a soft metal furnace as set forth in claim 3 in which there is provided a extending upward from the body and concentric rings, one of which is angular in cross section providing a drait channel, the inner ring be ng provided with air holes through which the draft'of air from the channel is admitted within the rings, and a fire box located above and supp'oi ted' upon said base.

JOHN B. MoCLAlINi 

